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Born at the Crest of the Empire

Monday, March 05, 2007

A positive Bin Laden story? Discomfiting Musharraf?

After all the Bin Laden sightings, I'm at "believe it when I see it," but how do you think Musharraf feels about the mention of a permanent US CIA presence in Pakistan?
Armed with fresh intelligence, the CIA is moving additional man power and equipment into Pakistan in the effort to find Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al Zawahri, U.S. officials tell ABC News."....

People familiar with the CIA operation say undercover officers with paramilitary training have been ordered into Pakistan and the area across the border with Afghanistan as part of the ramp-up.

There seems to be an intentional effort over the last week or so by unnamed "US officials" to show US operations in Pakistan, but these revelations are hugely unsettling for the Musharraf government.

First, there was the scolding Cheney visit, followed immediately by the arrest of Mullah Obaidullah Akhund which was also leaked by "US officials." (I keep wondering if this "Pakistani arrest" is like the Pakistani airstrikes that keep turning out to be US missiles.)

The arrest made Musharraf look very weak and a puppet of the US.

Then there was the statement before Congress that the US is pursuing Taleban fighters into Pakistan that the Musharraf government had to "vehemently deny."

Now, "US officials" make public a long term CIA presence and mention building it up with paramilitary forces?

Are "US officials" are trying to upset Musharraf's political situation? Are they trying to force a political conflict to force Musharraf to pick a side?

Or is all this just for US consumption after the Al Qaeda regrouping stories? That's alot of weight to put on Musharraf for domestic politics.

Later: Probably should add this:
Former ISI Chief, Gen (retd) Hameed Gul has said that the Untied States is paving the way to use Pakistan's territory for its expected attack on Iran in order to shift the blame of its failure in Afghanistan to Pakistan.

Talking to a private TV Channel, Gen (retd) Hameed Gul said that NATO forces have intensified their activities on Pak-Afghan border as they are frustrated due to their failure in Afghanistan.....

General (retd) Hamid Gul said that its an American policy to use different tactics to pressurize Pakistan and the main objective of recent visit of US Vice President Dick Cheney to pressurize Pakistan as US would need Pakistan's support and Balochistan land to attack Iran. He said that it may be the possibility that Pakistani government is refusing the United States to given permission to use its land.

I don't know, but it does seem to fall into the same argument.

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